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3.5 stars, maybe 3.75. This book was like taking Philosophy 102 without taking its prerequisite, Phi 101. (And I took PHI 101 in college - it's been a little while, but...) There were glimmering gems, no doubt, but there were whole bits that I had to read, reread, reread, and still didn't quite understand. Because I didn't JUST take PHI 101. So that bothered me - to just read on. The ending was just ... I don't know. I think for the work we did to get all the way to the end of this book, because
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I tried, I really did. I made it through 90 pages, and I have heard that if you can break the first few chapters, the book gets better. But, I'm thinking life is short and I have hundreds of books in my to-be-read pile, so why bother?
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Madame Michel has been the concierge of an exclusive Paris apartment building for nearly thirty years. She has managed to avoid making any ties to the families who live there by presenting to the world a facade of the stereotypical French employee- an uneducated, mean-tempered oaf who watches t.v. all day.
Paloma is a twelve year-old of one of the privileged families in the building, a girl whose IQ exceeds her family's understanding and whose anger at her isolation causes her to hide.
Monsieur Oz ...more
Paloma is a twelve year-old of one of the privileged families in the building, a girl whose IQ exceeds her family's understanding and whose anger at her isolation causes her to hide.
Monsieur Oz ...more
My favourite thing about this book was how much I appreciated Ozu Yasujiro after reading it. I was already a fan of his work, but after reading the description of the Munekata Sisters I was completely hooked.
This novel really does its best to make you think and feel, but I found the parts I liked best were the feeling bits more than the thinking bits (which I felt were a little too pendantic for my taste).
This novel really does its best to make you think and feel, but I found the parts I liked best were the feeling bits more than the thinking bits (which I felt were a little too pendantic for my taste).
I liked the second half of the book once Mr. Ozu came into the picture. But the beginning felt like a textbook to me. The book provided a really good discussion in book group but what I thought of afterwards is that nothing in art, music, or literature takes the place of good friends and family. Best, of course, to have both. Profound thought #18
Despite some brilliant sentences and observations about human nature and beauty, I find the actual plot disappointing. The story of a poor and plain woman meeting a rich man who is the embodiment of everything she wanted only to be separated by the premature death of one of them screams Victorian romance novel to me and I find it irritating.
I've had this book on my shelf for a long time and I just randomly picked it up. It was one of the most beautiful books I have read. It made me want to read Tolstoy and listen to great music. Wonderful read!
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Took me months to finish this because reading about philosophy in Italian was not so easy, probably should have read it in English but valentina was right and it was worth the effort.
May 10, 2009
Ginger
marked it as to-read
Jun 09, 2009
Alisa
marked it as to-read
Jun 02, 2010
Kimberly
marked it as to-read
Sep 18, 2011
Lisa
marked it as to-read
Oct 27, 2011
Jennifer
marked it as to-read
Aug 30, 2014
Mary
marked it as to-read
Nov 19, 2015
Neila
marked it as to-read
